The Japanese take education very seriously. They see economic progress and social wellbeing as intimately tied-up with such provision. Perhaps no other country can equal the level of commitment of the Japanese to education. This book explores the development of such attitudes, the history of Japan's response to them, and the modern debates and initiatives as government and people wrestle with contemporary changes and prepare for a tomorrow which they see as making education even more central to a country's health. Those outside Japan who wish to understand its economic success will find much to give them though within these pages.

Acknowledgements - On Being Japanese - The View From 1876 - 'The Excessiveness of Change' (Ito Hirohumi 1879) - 'We Stand for Divine Rulership' (Amur Society Anniversary Statement 1930): Japan and Education in the 1930-45 Period - 'The Abolition of Government Sponsorship and Support of State Shinto and Doctrine' (Directive AG 000.3 of 15 December 1945): The American Occupation - The Drive for Economic Great Power Status - Conclusion: 'Harmony Achieved': Education in the 1980s and Beyond - Index